Sonos Roam: The loudspeaker should conquer the market with the swap function

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Another bluetooth speaker?

In fact, the Californian audio specialist Sonos is a late bloomer with its "Sonos Roam".

Anyone building loudspeakers has long had a portable Bluetooth model on offer.

Sonos is also already selling such a copy with its “Move”.

But with a price of 400 euros and a weight of three kilograms, it is not really something for on the go.

The new Sonos Roam, on the other hand, weighs only 430 grams and joins the selection of speakers in time for spring that people actually want to take with them when they go outside.

So much in advance: The test shows that Sonos did almost everything right on its roam.

In low light, the small buttons on the new Sonos model are difficult to see

Source: Sonos

Setting up the roam with the Sonos S2 smartphone app is quick and easy.

This application activates all Sonos devices, including the sound bars, the subwoofer and the manufacturer's non-portable speakers.

These devices all need a cable to the socket.

But the networking with each other runs over the WiFi network.

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And this is exactly where the new Roam fits in, which also connects via WiFi if it is within range of a Sonos system to which it has been added via the app.

Sonos implemented this well, because the Roam behaves like all other Sonos speakers: It can be addressed via the app and grouped with other speakers.

Two roam speakers can also be linked to form a stereo pair here.

Built-in far-field microphone recognizes voice commands

In the WiFi network, the Roam also supports Apple's wireless connection option “AirPlay 2”, so it can easily be controlled by Apple devices such as iPhones or iPads.

He can also "swap" the sound within a Sonos sound system, as Sonos calls it: If the Roam is positioned near another Sonos loudspeaker and the Play / Pause button on the top is held, the music jumps to the nearest loudspeaker above.

This is useful when you come back into the house from the balcony or the garden and want to continue listening to the music there.

If desired, users can use the app to activate either the digital Amazon voice assistant Alexa or the Google Assistant on their roam, although these only work in the WiFi network.

This function is not available via Bluetooth while on the move.

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The built-in far-field microphone recognizes voice commands from several meters away without any problems.

In the test, however, there are differences between Amazon's Alexa and Google's competitor, the Google Assistant.

Alexa responds much faster than Google's voice assistant.

Much more serious, however, is that the Google Assistant apparently wants to establish contact with the servers in the cloud even when not in use.

As a result, it pauses the roam every 30 minutes and then goes back to sleep after another 30 minutes of non-use.

The ten days of runtime in sleep mode promised by Sonos cannot be achieved in this way.

Incidentally, it does not matter whether the microphone is switched on or off.

A loudspeaker is not enough to use all functions

When it comes to the most important feature, the Roam shows no weakness at all: the sound is excellent for a speaker of this size.

The bass as well as the mid and high tones can be heard clearly - and easily fill a larger room.

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The Roam automatically adapts to its surroundings.

Sonos calls this function “Trueplay”, in which the device continuously analyzes the audio reflections of its surroundings via its microphone.

Because it plays a big role in the sound whether the loudspeaker is on a bookshelf, on the lawn or in a tiled bathroom.

The Roam is waterproof and can therefore also be used on the beach

Source: Sonos

Conclusion: Sonos took its time with the Roam.

But it was worth it.

With a price of 179 euros, the loudspeaker is in a similar category to Bose or JBL, for example.

But only those who already have a Sonos sound system at home can use functions such as sound swap and speaker grouping with the Roam.

In addition, the Roam is waterproof and can therefore be used by the pool without any worries.

It lasts up to ten hours on a single charge.

It can even be charged wirelessly using the Qi standard or via a USB-C cable.

On the top there are some buttons for volume, the microphone, play and pause.

For design reasons, Sonos decided to make it very small.

Unfortunately, they can neither be recognized nor clearly felt in low light.